As a business owner, finding ways to save money and methods to make higher profits are two things that are probably on your mind quite a bit. When it comes to researching a new website or redesigned site for your company, you should treat the process just as you would if you were looking at office spaces, billboards, advertising, business identity, and staff. You want your website to highlight your business’ professionalism, success, and ideals. The more professional your website looks, the more credible and established your business appears to potential and current clients.
There are numerous ways to go about getting a professional website but there are fewer ways to go about getting a profitable and productive one. Custom web design versus template design is definitely something you need to look into and research. There are big pros and cons to both but it comes down to your number goal for your website and that goal is typically gaining new business and profits. I will briefly go through this pro and con list for both methods and you will see by the end of the list how much more effective a custom website is for your business.
Let’s start with pre-made templates…
Pros = Easy | Affordable (sometimes free) | Anyone Can Build One
There are many companies out there that offer website templates for business owners to build on themselves. Think of a template like the shell of your website. They include areas to click and add photos, text, logo, etc. Someone with limited computer knowledge could probably learn how to do this in a matter of minutes. Sometimes you have to purchase a template with a one-time fee, other templates are completely free as long as you agree to have that template company’s logo places somewhere on your site. To be completely honest, that’s pretty much where the pro list ends. Let’s continue on to the cons…
Cons = Limited SEO Ability | Limited Customization | Possibility of Template Breaking | Maintenance and Updates Are Your Responsibility | Many Other Businesses Will Have Same Template
Most templates are built with very little to absolutely no SEO (Search Engine Optimization) ability. Even if you choose to use a template design, you will need to either spend a lot of time learning how to build a website for the purposes of climbing up the search engine ladder. This starts in the backend of the site and is something that many people are not able to handle on their own. What good is a website if nobody can find it? Also, unless you know how to handle the backend of website, you will be stuck with the design and have very little capability, if any at all, of customization. This means, if in one year, you are tired of your website and ready for a redesign, you will be forced to start from scratch. If you do know a few things about web design and attempt to customize the template to your liking by adding in your own graphics and such, you have the potential of breaking the template.
Another point to make when dealing with template designs is the fact that everything, from adding photos to content, is completely up to you. If you have an update, you are responsible for making it. If you have page additions, you are responsible for creating them. This can mean a big headache in the end for someone who does not have a lot of time or knowledge in this area. One last con to touch on is that you can in no way expect that you will be the only business with that template. There will more than likely be hundreds of other business out there using that exact template. A website acts as part of your business identity. So, in the end, you will be sharing the look of your brand with hundreds of others. Not exactly the best way to be unique, is it?
Now that we’ve talked about the pros and cons of website templates, let’s move on the pros and cons of custom web design…
Cons = Not Free | Rely on Someone Else for Maintenance
Truthfully, those are really the only cons that come to mind with a custom website design. When you break them down, you’ll find they aren’t really cons at all. You will more than likely have a very difficult time finding custom web design for free like you will come across with templates. Unless, of course, someone owes you a really big favor! However, affordable web design is still very possible and when you read through the pro list coming up, you will realize it is worth every single penny. The Boise web design field is high in competition so we strive to make our clients’ web design an easy and affordable process that they are happy to be a part of.
That brings us to the next item on the con list… relying on someone else for your web site maintenance and updates. This can be an annoying process but if you find the right design firm, will be one of the most rewarding parts of your experience. We take pride in putting our client’s first and make updates and maintenance painless and easy. All it takes is one email with your updates and we guarantee they will be made in 48 hours. It’s that simple. The other great part about Thrive Web Designs, is we are a small company so anytime you call or email, you get in touch with an actual person and not a machine or auto-response. You also work with the same people through out the entire process instead of being tossed from person to person as you will find with the bigger web design companies out there. We take care of clients and that always comes first in our book. Now, onto the pros!
Pros: Unique and Custom Design | Search Engine Friendly | Easy Customization and Options | Scalability
The pros list for a custom website design is quite amazing. First and foremost, the obvious pro is the custom part. With a website built from scratch, your business will receive a truly unique and custom design that nobody else has. It will also be built to match your business’ brand and identity and you will be able to work with your designer and make changes to anything you do or dont like in the design. Secondly, when planning your website, you probably have a list of abilities and features you’d like it to have (ie photo galleries, slideshows, blog integration, various menus, forums, shopping cart, etc.). When working with a custom web design company, you will have the opportunity to include all of these functions in your site and customize each one to your liking. So that in the end you aren’t stuck with a site that is sort-of what you hoped for you but, instead, everything you wanted.
Another great point to make is the ability to build onto your site as your business and profits grow. If your business is a brand new start-up, you may not have the budget for a 25+ page website with every feature available. Thrive Web Designs works with businesses of all different sizes and budgets. We can start you out with a one page site, five page site, etc. and when you are ready and have the finances to build onto it, we will easily be able to do so.
The most important item on the pro list is definitely the fact that custom web designs are built to be search engine friendly. What does this mean to you? It means new business, higher profits, and much more noticeability to the online world. This goes back to your original goals in having a website, which again will most likely be to gain new business and profit. We specialize in SEO and getting our clients’ sites up on the search engine ladder. We include a basic SEO package for free in all of our website designs and offer a premium SEO package for those interested. We work tirelessly to get our clients’ noticed online and we have the expertise to do so. This is another reason why the cost of a custom website is so worth it in the end. You are taken care of without any worry or hard work on your end and you can trust that you are in good hands with a company who has the knowledge and experience your website needs. There are a few Boise SEO companies to choose from but we are 100% confident in our work, affordability, and ability.
Please contact us today if you are interested in finding out more about Thrive Web Designs and how we can help you and your business!
Until Next Time!
Bonnie Olswanger | Thrive Web Designs, a Boise web design company
Visit our website to find out more about Thrive!